\(warden Spot’s ag value pegged at $385 million
during 1977 ; poultry, cattle , hogs lead way
|B By DIETER KRIEG
LANCASTER - Despite a loss of 8200 acres of farmland,
SHLancaster County farmers managed to increase their
by nearly $23% million in 1977, compared to
Total value of Lancaster County’s 1977 agricultural
QBproducts is pegged at a whoppmg $385,651,130, according
Hto information released this week by the Pennsylvania
■■Crop Reporting Service. Last year that figure stood at
Ht 5362,169,300, and in 1975 the tab was $335,180,200.
Hr While much of that increase is due to inflation, a
Hf j| mfii ml portion can be attributed to better production
Cattlemen face imports, prices drop
fCarter inflates beef imports
Jimmy Carter
By DIETER KRIEG
WASHINGTON, D.C. -
Despite intensive lobbying
and protests by the nation’s
cattle organizations, Presi
dent Jimmy Carter on
Thursday afternoon
authorized an increase in
beef imports which are
designed to save consumers
$5OO million or more during
the remainder of this year.
Lbsjn making the announce
« Dent, the President claimed
Spat only hamburger and
beef prices would
be affected. They’re ex
pected to stay about five
cents a pound below where
, they’d be under freely
floating market conditions.
The specifics of the Carter
statement say that an addi
tional 200 million pounds of
beef will be imported during
the second half of 1978. In
making the statement,
I Carter acknowledged that
| during 15 of the past 23
quarters (3-month periods)
cattlemen had suffered
losses.
Wide Carter claims the
action won’t hurt cattlemen,
the cattlemen themselves
nave a different opinion on
the matter. Most of them are
angry.
the National Cattlemen’s
headquartered
Denver, Colo., caUed
Carter’s decision “a cruel
hoax which will hurt rather
(Turn to Page 25)
C Jnffconctprn Pennsylvania A7&as - Also Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware
VOL 23 No. 32
Robert Bergland
By JOANNE SPAHR
HARRISBURG - As of
the May 31 deadline,
1479,689 farms across the
nation had enrolled in the
1978 cotton, feed grain, and
Egg conference invites area poultrymen
LANCASTER - Owners of
egg producing poultry in
Lancaster County and
surrounding areas will be
guests of the Northeast Egg
Marketing Association and
United Egg Producers at a
Cherries to ripen hy July
By JOANNE SPAHR
LITITZ - At this time last
year home canners were
picking cherries to their
hearts’ content. That’s not
the case this year, however.
Tobacco planting now begun
By JOANNE SPAHR
LITITZ -- Tobacco
growers in Lancaster
Farming’s coverage area
were finally able to get the
beginnings of their crop
planted this week. According
to reports a few farmers
Pa. farmers participate in set-aside
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 10,1978
in the fields and barns within the Garden Spot. The fact
that farmers here lost nearly 2.5 per cent of their farm
land puts a sizable dent into the inflation rate recorded
for 1977 by the U.S. Department of Labor - 7.1 per cent.
That leaves ample room for credit to the Garden Spot
farmers’ productivity. Furthermore, Lancaster County’s
rate of inflation ranks below the national average, thus
further sparkle is added to the Garden Spot’s status.
Further proof of increased productivity are noticeable,
for example, m the 1977 Red Rose DHIA summary.
Whereas 71 herds averaged more than 600 pounds of
Frank Darcey
wheat programs say of
ficials at the Agricultural
Stabilization and Con
servation Service in
Harrisburg.
Of those farms, 13,381
dinner meeting scheduled
for June 20 at 6 p.m. at the
Plain and Fancy
Restaurant, Bird-m-Hand.
The Northeast Egg
Marketing Association,
From the looks of things,
cherry enthusiasts will have
to wait until at least the last
week in June and possibly
the first week in July before
they can pop that first juicy
were able to begin planting
last Thursday and Friday,
(June 1 and 2) while the
majority of those individual
planting began in the early
part of this week.
By Wednesday, a number
of growers in the New
New cattle sale record set
By KENDACE BORRY
LANCASTER - “Cattle -
'The auction total is the
largest one day receipts in
the 15 year history of the
Lancaster auction.” Thus
begins the report of this
week’s Lancaster Livestock
Market which- was held on
Monday. Close to 2,000 cattle
were sold.
Tlje previous high num
bers of cattle record at the
Lancaster Stockyards was
1,897 which occurred last
June 27. The previous high
record county wide had been
set at the New Holland Sales
Stables last year, when 1,942
were signed up in the
Commonwealth of Penn
sylvania for a total statewide
set-aside acreage of 82,320
acres. Broken down into
commodities, 9,754 acres of
better known as NEMA is
the regional producers’
cooperative that works with
United Egg Producers
(UEP) in the Mid-Atlantic
and New England states.
Membership . in both
fruit delicacy into their
mouths. But, say or
chardists, if weather con
ditions continue to be
(Turn to Page 24)
Holland area had from two
to five acres planted, and in
the Central Manor area one
tobacco farmer and his son
had as much as 10 acres in
the ground.
Raymond Burkholder,
(Turn to Page 19)
butterfat per cow per year during 1976, that figure jumped
to 121 herds in 1977. Similar comparisons can be made m
other segments of the industry.
Details follow:
In the summary released by the Crop Reporting Ser
vice, Lancaster County ranked first in five out of seven
livestock production categories. They were: dairy
products, poultry and broiler production, layers and eggs,
cattle and calves, and hogs. The county ranks second in
head of cattle were sold a
year ago on June 23.
Compared to the previous
Wednesday’s market,
slaughter steers were $3 to $4
lower per hundredweight.
' Slaughter heifers were down
$3.50 to $4, cows were $5O
cents to $1 higher, and
bullocks $1 to $2 lower.
Some of the prices of
slaughter steers on Monday
mcluded high choice and
prime, 34, 1085 to 1350 lbs.
57.60-59.75; with one lot 1250
lbs. bringing 60.25.
According to William G.
McCoy, president of the
(Turn to Page 29)
wheat will be diverted; 1775
acres of barley; 38,033 acres
of com; and 206 acres of
grain sorghum.
Additional acreage set
aside under the voluntary
organizations is strictly
limited to flock owners.
In announcing the session,
NEMA’s general manager,
Bill Rent said: “We are
pleased to bring a meeting of
this type into an area where
the egg marketing industry
continues to make con
structive strides.”
Rent said further: Par
ticipants at the June 20
meeting can expect to hear '
frank discussions of issues
facing the egg industry as we
(Turn to Page 35)
In this issue
Farm Calendar 10
Editorials 10
Homestead Notes 42
Jr. Cooking Edition 43
Joyce Bupp 44
Doris Thomas 45
Farm Women Calendar 45
Kendy’sKollumn 46
Home on the Range 50
My Thoughts 52
$6.00 Per Year
(Turn to Page 28)
Bit! McCoy
diversion program includes
973 acres of barley; 30,822
acres of corn; and 93 acres of
grain sorghum.
Over 650 acres of wheat
were recorded for haying
and grazing.
Nationally, cropland
designated as set aside by
the signed farms totaled
16,266,938 acres including
9,411,059 acres under the
wheat program and
6,855,879 acres under feed
grains.
Additional acreages to be
diverted by the participating
farms under the feed grain
program is 5,232,084 acres.
Fanners plan to graze or cut
hay for over 1.3 million acres
of wheat.
A check of the various
counties in Lancaster
Farming’s coverage area
(Turn to Page 29)
Del. dairy princess 53
Lady auctioneer 54
Classifieds 56
Ida’s Noteb jok 83
Md. dairy princess 101
Dauphin dairy princess 104
Berwick Vegetable Co-op 106
Life on the farm 108
Horse show 123
Chester dairy princess 124